Two Wayne Community College faculty members have been honored with the college’s 15th set of “Distinguished Chair” awards.
Applied Animal Science Instructor Jennifer Johnson and Applied Technologies Division Dean Dr. Ernie White each received a monetary award to use for travel and a keepsake for their offices.
The Distinguished Chair awards recognize outstanding full-time curriculum faculty members who have distinguished themselves at the college and in the community. The awards are made possible by an annual gift to the Foundation of Wayne Community College by an anonymous donor.
“It is our pleasure to shine a light on the outstanding work being done at Wayne Community College,” said Foundation Executive Director Adrienne Northington.
In announcing the awards, Northington called Johnson “an outstanding faculty member, mentor, leader, and servant of our community.”
“She began her career at Wayne Community College in 2006 and is a role model for other instructors for her compassion for students and ability to help students achieve their goals,” Northington said. “She is recognized by others at WCC as one of the subject matter experts in online education and frequently assists other faculty members in their efforts.”
Northington also listed some of the organizations with which Johnson volunteers, including the Wayne County Livestock Development Association, Wayne County Chamber of Commerce’s Junior Leadership Program, North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association, and Wayne County Farmers Association.
In addition, she provided the leadership for the Wayne County Agricultural Expo, the inaugural event at the Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center.
Northington commended White for being “an outstanding professional, mentor, instructor, and leader.”
White moved into higher education after a career in industry. He transitioned his management skills into leadership at the college and has been instrumental in creating state-of-practice learning environments in several programs throughout the campus.
“He is well-respected locally, nationally, and internationally for his expertise in many technical fields and has developed several business and industry partnerships that enable our students to obtain the best technical education possible,” Northington said. “He constantly strives to push the Applied Technology Division and WCC forward to achieve its potential.”
Past recipients were 2004 – Peggy Womble and Beth Hooks, 2005 – Cindy Archie and Gene Smith, 2006 – Faye Best and Rosalyn Lomax, 2007 – Kathryn Spicer and Rachel Hall, 2008 – Margaret Baddour and Charlotte Brow, 2009 – Craig Foucht and Phyllis Patterson, 2010 – Todd King and Anna Anaya-Vega, 2011 – Joanne McClave and Angela Wall, 2012 – Tammy Bishop and Fe Finch, 2013 – David Byrd and Janeil Marak, 2014 – Maureen Loomer and Chad Pate, 2015 – Katina Davis and Glenn Royster, 2016 – Paul Compton and Duane Everhart, and 2017 – Angie Waller and Daniel Rollins.
The Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to promote and to broaden the base of community support for educational opportunities at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro. The Foundation provides scholarships for WCC students, funds for educational supplies and events that cannot be paid for with state money, and public cultural events at the college.
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 12,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 70 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.